Flat Lenny
December 19th, 2022
If you think it’s been way too long since Leonard “Lombardi Lenny” Fournette has had a run of 20-plus yards, your instincts are correct.
No NFL running back is on a longer streak without a run of 20 or more yards.
Fournette is now up to 159 carries this season without a run of that distance. Nobody else in the league is close to that number. His last big run (including playoffs) was 47 yards against Buffalo on Dec. 12 of last season.
Joe’s eye says Fournette has lost some juice. A lot of running backs trend downhill when they hit the 1,000-carry mark in the NFL. Fournette is at 1,249, including postseason, and he’s caught 332 balls. That’s a lot of punishment.
Joe doesn’t think Fournette is washed. He can still run guys over, his pass blocking is strong and his feet and hands are good in the passing game. But Fournette is missing a spark.
It could be various injuries. But every veteran running back has dings and dents.
Joe hopes the Bucs can clinch a playoff berth before the season finale in Atlanta. A week off might help Fournette more than most players.
December 19th, 2022 at 1:02 pm
Lenny and the Bucs are all Playin; Possum til the playoffs. Then The Real Bucs will trick the whole world and win The Stupor Bowlzo!
December 19th, 2022 at 1:05 pm
Too slow.
Lenny should be turned into a fullback/H back…
He is below average as an NFL RB. But he can block and catch the ball pretty well still.
December 19th, 2022 at 1:12 pm
Hey everyone a pic of another player we should have let go
December 19th, 2022 at 1:15 pm
One day it will dawn on everyone that this O line is below average and that was before injuries.
December 19th, 2022 at 1:17 pm
It dawned on me, Kentucky, starting about week 2.
December 19th, 2022 at 1:30 pm
His nickname this year should be old man Lenny or Lazy Lenny, or running in sand Lenny. LOL
December 19th, 2022 at 1:32 pm
Lenny appears to be running hard but along with the rest of this offense something appears off. Most of us have lived through the years where we knew the Bucs didn’t have a chance, but this is different and more painful to watch. We know this is much the same team that won a ton of games last year. We know they have the talent but they are just underachieving. What’s the difference? The head coach! I like Todd Bowles but he has to go.
December 19th, 2022 at 1:40 pm
Lenny should be a good fullback,help on pass blocking
December 19th, 2022 at 1:42 pm
Kentucky Buc Says:
December 19th, 2022 at 1:15 pm
One day it will dawn on everyone that this O line is below average and that was before injuries.
One day Bucs fans will understand that worse O-lines have made it to the Superbowl in consecutive seasons… IE Kansas City in 2020, Cincinnati in 2021
Also Cincinnati’s line is still a siv this year still and the Bucs line ranks higher in blocking so idk what people are on about.
December 19th, 2022 at 1:44 pm
@ HC Grover
TBH I was kind of thinking the same thing. This all seems so out of whack and makes no sense to me at all. Something just isn’t sitting well with me right now. We know what this offense are capable of and just how good our D is but, to see what is going on week in and week out is just off. I hope you and I are both correct sir. If not, well then we are in trouble.
December 19th, 2022 at 2:08 pm
Panters and Chicks will lose next Sunday and Bucs win. That locks it up with a losing record. Then The Amazing Bucs and Brady storm to The Stupor Bowl. It will be EPIC. The Cherry will be whuppin the Stainks in the last game before the playoffs.
December 19th, 2022 at 2:10 pm
The first half yesterday was just practice for The Stupor Bowl Run.
December 19th, 2022 at 2:15 pm
He chops his feet at the line and doesn’t blast through. When he runs with a full head of steam and stops the happy feet he is far more effective.
December 19th, 2022 at 2:22 pm
This team needs to get healthy. Either way i don’t see much noise with this coaching staff. I think the health of Vea is important for this team.
December 19th, 2022 at 2:22 pm
The difference is the Oline! A statue at QB with a shaky Oline = 6-8. Tom is playing scared because he should be. Donnie has regressed, Hainsey should be playing guard and not center, Jensen’s injury has hurt us all year and so has Stinne’s. If our starting line was Donnie, Mason, Jensen, Hainsey or Stinne and Wirfs, we would most likely run the ball more effectively and Tom would have more time to throw to the deep developing routes that has been a staple of this offense the past 3 years. Instead of putting all of the blame on Bowels and Leftwich, and lord knows they do deserve some of the blame, what about Licht? Darden was a bust, JTS? Logan Hall? Luke Goetdke? The ghost of Julio Jones? Russell ( my hammy hurts) Gage at 10 million? Kyle Rudolph? Bernard over Rojo? Vaughn over Rojo? Hicks over Suh? It’s not easy to make chicken soup out of chicken…ya’ll know the rest.
December 19th, 2022 at 2:23 pm
@HC…………. We play the Falcons last game. I know you want to do it again but we have already swept the saints.
December 19th, 2022 at 2:25 pm
Still don’t know how BL has survived this season seriously. Management has a lot of love for byron leftwich.
December 19th, 2022 at 2:27 pm
His vision was always bad now what little quickness he had seems to bE gone. Doesnt look like a good signing. With considering what they needed and the fact he is a running back they tend to fall off at his age guess easy to say in hindsight but I didnt think it was a good signing when they did it.
December 19th, 2022 at 2:28 pm
Need to win 2, one of which needs to be the Panthers.
December 19th, 2022 at 2:35 pm
We have the worst line in football
(Thanks to Jason)
What do u expect from any back?
December 19th, 2022 at 2:37 pm
This team could lose to anyone. Embarrassing. Probably won’t even beat the cardinals this week. Joke that this coaching staff is still here. Just do us a favor and fire them now.
December 19th, 2022 at 2:41 pm
Drew has the playoff scenario correct…the last two Panthers/Falcons being the most key. And the Bucs will get their best effort. Won’t be easy…especially with this coaching staff who make Mike Smith and Jeff Jagzinski look good by comparison.
December 19th, 2022 at 2:49 pm
Signing him to guaranteed 7 million (including next year) was a waste.
December 19th, 2022 at 2:57 pm
Barry Sanders couldn’t run behind this line SMH
December 19th, 2022 at 2:57 pm
Lenny is fine
December 19th, 2022 at 3:00 pm
When the defense has 8 in the box, because they know what play is coming, then you’re rarely going to break anything big.
With that said, Lenny has always ‘looked’ sluggish, but in reality he’s quite fast. When he has broken long runs, it never looks like he’s going that fast, yet defenders can’t catch him. So by eye, saying he looks sluggish or lost a step, it can be deceiving just because of his style. That’s not to say he hasn’t, as noted his wear and tear meter is at the point where guys break down, but I wouldn’t blame any lack of production on him, I’d put it squarely in the same place as the rest of the issues on offense, in the lap of Leftwich.
December 19th, 2022 at 3:15 pm
If he got rid of the stutter step he would be far more explosive. If any of you ever ran track you would know you get no thrust running like that.
December 19th, 2022 at 3:23 pm
Lenny now reminds me of Keith Byars, RB/FB with the eagles, dolphins and others. Same short strides and hands. But no third gear.
December 19th, 2022 at 3:40 pm
Bunch of old guys still trying to hang on… time for the rebuild.. sorry
December 19th, 2022 at 4:24 pm
So kyle@ start the rebuild now? With what? There are very few Heberts & Burrows out there. Guys don’t just come into the league and become stars. Love, Lance, Mac Jones, Lawrence, Fields, Wilson, Mills all trying to figure it out. If you’re ready for another 5 ten years of toilet water then I say.go.for it; or cross your fingers and hope these Bucs get their shat together the next couple of weeks. That was a pretty impressive first half on both sides of the ball.
December 19th, 2022 at 4:57 pm
There’s a lot of stupid noise here. The ignorance is knee deep.
Lenny has been best when using his blockers. But they ain’t here no more.
December 19th, 2022 at 6:29 pm
He’s overweight and lacks juice. He can’t control the wear & tear from 1000+ carries, but he sure in the hell can control his weight. Mix in a few salads and run like the wind Lenny. We need your burst.
December 19th, 2022 at 7:22 pm
Lol this whole team sucks. Just write that down.
December 19th, 2022 at 11:06 pm
Lenny is just the latest example of why you should never, ever pay big money to a runnng back unless they are special. Draft Bijan Robinson, run the hell out of em, and give him a second contract only if he’s worthy of being mentioned in the the same sentence as Derrick Henry (on a hall of fame trajectory) or Barry Sanders (hof’er) etc..
December 19th, 2022 at 11:43 pm
Lenny is a great back.
Noone can run thru a wall 20 + times a game
December 20th, 2022 at 12:36 am
Lenny was great in the playoff run.
This year he seems to take 23 steps while trying to decide which way to go around a defender. Every time it gains nothing and fools no one.
OR
He immediately lowers for the hit when he could have juked the guy and gained 3 to 5 more yards.
There is absolutely no decisiveness. He reminds me of Michael Pittman at this point. His feet go a mile a minute while getting nowhere.
December 22nd, 2022 at 10:17 am
Rojo Ronald Jones should’ve had that 1000 yard rushing season our Super Bowl year but bringing in Lenny, then with less than 30 yards to go they decided to get AB his bonus. The last thousand yard rusher was Doug Martin but we had an incredible running offense then. I don’t know what was going on behind the scenes. And I know that Rojo has only played in one game for the Chiefs this year but he still averages a higher yards per carry than any runner on our team. And he did have a 99 yard run against Carolina, which only four people have done in history including him… I can’t believe we let Rojo go. He would’ve gotten over 20 yards many times this year and he would’ve helped our play action substantially because they would stack the box like they used to do against him. To be honest Lenny has more explosiveness this year but nothing like Rojo. No next level action. God I miss all those yards after contact. I like white. But I agree keeping vaugh and Bernard over Rojo is insane. But I do think that both of those players are pretty good. I think Bernard should be playing way more than he is. I know he’s been hurt, but still he has that next level ability. I know it all starts with the office of wine. I just miss Ronald Jones for the running sake and the passing sake (play action). The chiefs only threw to him once this year, 22 yard screen like he had against them in the Super Bowl. He must just really be a slow learner when it comes to protection schemes and picking up offenses because I remember him having trouble his rookie year.